This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for electrically welding a link chain formed of prebent, C-shaped, serially interconnected chain links. In a link chain of this kind the joints of consecutive links are offset by 90.degree. with respect to one another.
In known processes of the afore-outlined type, the interconnected, prebent links of the chain are advanced in the chain link welding machine in such a manner that each time the link to be welded is positioned in the welding saddle of the chain link welding machine in an edgewise upright orientation with the still unwelded joint at the top. In this manner only every other chain link can be welded, so that for completing the welding, the chain has to be passed twice through the welding machine. Such a procedure permits only a limited reduction of the time necessary for making the chains.
Since during one pass of the chain through the welding machine only every other link is welded, the intermittent chain feed must be relatively large. The speed of the chain feed, however, cannot be arbitrarily increased due to the requirement of an exact positioning of the chain link to be welded. Because of the repositioning and two-time threading of the chain, there is required a relatively large work and transportation input. Further, welding machines which operate according to this known process cannot be arranged to operate synchronously with an upstream-connected chain link bending machine.